


Looking Into The Depths

by swingandswirl



Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Idiots in denial, M/M, Time Travel, post-Hereafter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 00:49:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10651536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swingandswirl/pseuds/swingandswirl
Summary: For Prompt# F24 at the World’s Finest Gift Exchange: LOSH cartoonverse. Brainiac 5 goes back in time to recruit Superman for the battle against Imperiex and ends up appearing during a League meeting. Superman is more than eager to join him but the JLA is more than reluctant to let him go, especially one secretly worried Bat.





	Looking Into The Depths

Clark Kent was a content man. He had a job he loved, his superhero career had never been better, and Lois Lane had agreed to have dinner with him. Life was good.  
 

And then everything changed in a flash of green light. 

   
In the quiet loneliness of the future, it wasn’t Lois’ laugh or the smell of her perfume that haunted him. No, here Kal dreamed of black leather and expensive cologne, of azure eyes and cutting wit. Of dazzling smiles, made all the more precious by their rarity. Of watching as deft hands gave form to the imaginings of an even quicker mind. Of heated debates, arguments that he could only now admit to starting just to see the flash in Bruce’s eyes, hear his heart speed up when he got truly involved in the discussion. Of watching the faint quirk of his lips as he handily beat Superman, whether on the mats or across the JLA’s conference table.

 

 Kal could accept never flying again, never soaring over the viridian seas of  Kansas or the glistening spires of Metropolis.  Clark could resign himself to never spending a stake-out trading barbs with Lois or rescuing Jimmy from Perry’s wrath. He could even, after the initial shock and grief had passed, come to terms with never seeing the JLA or his parents again.

 

 

Finding the time machine, however, had changed all that. In the space of an instant,  Clark had gone from numb acceptance to almost giddy joy. He could go back to his time.

   
Back to Bruce.

 

But as each day passed with no headway on the time machine, even Superman’s boundless optimism began to fail. He threw himself into the work, the complexities of time travel stumping even his Kryptonian intellect enough to require intense concentration. So much so they even managed to push away thoughts of Bruce from his mind.

 

His dreams, however, offered him no such mercy. Night after night, Kal was plagued by visions of his future here should he fail. Nightmares of spending an eternity without ever seeing Bruce again, of never hearing his voice as he alternately teased and yelled at Kal. He would never see the amused glint in the quicksilver eyes, hear his low, masculine rumble of a laugh, like a tiger cornering its prey. Never again fight by his side or marvel at the sight of Batman as he fought, his movements almost dance-like in their elegance, grace and danger, an obsidian whirlwind given human form. Never again look at the man he loved.

 

 That, Kal had thought, would be the worst fate any human- or Kryptonian- could be subjected to.

 

 He was wrong.

 

Being so close to Bruce and not being able to touch him, to reach out and bridge the gap that had somehow seemed to grow from a large rift to a gaping chasm in his absence, tore at Kal far worse than the prospect of never seeing him again ever had. Smiling benignly at Diana’s so-casual-it-had-to-be-pre-planned flirting, or at Michael’s more obvious fixation on Bruce, when all he wanted was to stride across the room and kiss Bruce, to see if his lips were as soft as they looked. He tried, for the team’s sake, to act as if everything was normal, as if his heart weren’t being ripped into smaller pieces with every passing day, but he’d noticed Diana and J’onn shooting him odd looks from time to time. Mercifully, the rest of the JLA believed his distraction was an after-effect of his trip to the future, and he was spared any well-intentioned meddling. Thank Rao.

 

 A sound on the edges of his hearing caught his attention. Hawkgirl was calling him, asking something about the latest uprising in Quarac. Apparently, he’d zoned out even worse than he thought. 

  
 Kal opened his mouth to respond, hoping he didn’t sound like too much of an idiot, when the air in the meeting room suddenly started to vibrate. 

   
"J’onn, what’s happening?” Superman heard Batman growl from across the room. 

   
“I do not know, Batman. The sensors are picking up some sort of interference, but it is not anything we’ve ever encountered before.”

  
“Ring’s stumped, too.” Lantern said. “On your guard, everyone. Whatever this is, it’s powerful and likely hostile.”

   
Superman tensed, searching for the near-meditative state he always settled into just before battle. Around him, he could feel his team-mates reaching for weapons and settling into combat stances, waiting.

The vibrations coalesced into a bubble, the air pulsing sharply, once, twice, before dissipating to reveal a very familiar purple figure.

  
Kal felt his jaw go slack. 

   
“Brainy?”

  
===================================================================================

“Superman, you know this guy?” Green Lantern’s voice broke through his shock. Kal looked up to see his teammates staring at him, suspicion evident in many of their faces. 

   
“Sure. Everyone, this is Brainy, one of my team-mates on the Legion of Superheroes. Brainy, I believe you know the Justice League?”

 

 “Most certainly. You do not possess the same amount of fame as Superman, but anyone with a passing knowledge of 21st century history has heard of the Justice League.”

  
 “Wait a minute. History? Uh, where exactly are you from, dude?” Flash asked.  
  
  
“My name is Braniac 5, and I’m a member of the Legion of Superheroes, a team of crime-fighters in the 31st century…” 

   
Kal only half-listened to Brainy’s explanation, his mind, as usual, on Batman. The Dark Knight was living up to his moniker, the grim scowl on his face even more pronounced than usual. Whether that was because of the Joker’s latest escapade or their current situation, Superman wasn’t sure.

  
He snapped back to attention at the mention of his name.  

   
“Five days ago, we met a- well, another version of Superman would be my most accurate guess. He’d been created specifically to fight Imperiex-“ he broke off at Kal’s muffled curse.

  
“I take it you know of this Imperiex, Superman?” J’onn asked. 

   
“Not directly, no. He’s a pretty major figure in Kryptonian legend, said to be ultimate warrior. He’s incredibly strong, not to mention very psychically powerful. Pretty much destroys everything he touches. If this guy is half as dangerous as the legends make him out to be, you’re in serious trouble.”

  
 Brainy nodded. “The entire galaxy- the entire timeline-  is at risk. Forty-three trillion lives, if what the other Superman told us is correct. We need your help, Superman.” 

 

Kal didn’t have to think for more than a nanosecond. The Legion was family. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  
   
Stunned silence enveloped the room for a moment, before a cacophony of voices erupted, the Leaguers getting louder and louder in their consternation.

  
   
“Superman, you can’t be serious!” Wonder Woman exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “How do you know this isn’t some kind of trap?”

  
   
“Because this is the Legion, Diana. I trust them with my life. Not to mention that Legion rings are practically impossible to fool.”

 

“This is a Braniac you’re talking about, Superman!” Flash interjected.  “And you *trust* him? Are you insane?”

  
“He’s not Braniac, Flash, just a descendant. Many times removed. And you of all people should know that being related to a bad guy doesn’t make you evil by association.”  
   
Flash looked like he was going to argue some more, but fell silent at a look from J’onn.  
   
Green Lantern spoke up. “Superman, all other considerations aside, two weeks ago you went through a hell of a bender, even for you. I’m not doubting your capability, but maybe one of us should go with you.”  
   
Braniac shook his head. “That would not be possible. The time travel- especially on the scale that is currently required- would place an undue amount of stress on most individuals, even highly powered ones. Superman is the only one of you who will survive the trip without any consequences.”  
   
J’onn stood, his usually calm face perturbed. “Superman- the League barely managed to hold things together when you were gone, and that was only for a few days. We cannot afford to lose you long-term.”  
   
Superman turned to Brainy. “How long will I be away?”  
   
The android took a moment to ponder his answer. “With the development of psitronic temporal transit fields, it’s-“  
   
Batman cut across him. “How long?”

“It is impossible for me to predict the time with complete certainty, given the complex nature of time travel itself, but I would estimate that Superman would be gone approximately one hour. No worries, you’ll have him back before the meeting is done. You won’t even know he’s gone.”

  
Diana rounded on Brainiac, divine fire flashing in her eyes. “I saw him _die_ , Braniac! I saw my best friend eviscerated right in front of my eyes, saw him die for me. I wept at his wake, I carried his coffin, I put his casket into the ground with my bare hands. Don’t you dare stand there and talk as if you’re taking him on- on some picnic!” 

  
Kal swallowed. He knew, intellectually, that his disappearance would have had some toll on his friends, but to see Diana like this, raw agony in her eyes and tears in her voice, tore at him. He walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

  
“Diana. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but I can’t regret taking that hit. Not if it meant saving any of you. Look, I have to do this, okay? I know all of you have my best interests at heart, and I appreciate it, but this is something I have to do. I’m Legion.” Kal couldn’t explain it better than that, and if the smile Brainy was giving him was any indication, he didn’t have to.  
  


Batman, however, was not as easily convinced.

   
“I’ve known you to be a lot of things, Superman, but an idiot has never been one of them. Until now.” Normally, the deep rasp of the Batman would send Kal’s arousal soaring, but right now it only served to set him further on edge.

   
Superman felt the tension of the past weeks rise, fiercer than ever, like a beam of heat vision struggling to be let loose. He gritted his teeth, barely managing to keep his voice even. “I’m afraid I don’t follow, Batman.”

   
“I’m saying that you’re letting your emotional attachments to these people blind you to your duties here!”

 

_Oh, you’re in for it now, you rich bastard._ “That’s a hoot, coming from you, Batman! I suppose all the times you risk your fool neck in  Gotham- by yourself, I might add- don’t count! Oh, forgive me, you’re the God Damned Batman, you obviously can do no wrong!”  


“At least I haven’t started to believe my own press, Superman. Unlike you, I don’t think I’m invincible, and I most certainly possess more common sense than to throw away my life on some fool’s errand. Or was that part about the Man of Steel referring to the contents of your skull?”

Superman took a deep breath, conscious of the people around them. This was not an argument they needed to have in full view of the League- not to mention what Brainy must think of his best friend yelling like a five-year-old. He took a deep breath, mentally summoning the last reserves of his patience.

 

“Everyone. I appreciate your concern, but this is something I have to do.” He rose. “If you’ll excuse me?”

 

“Kal, please, just listen to me.” Bruce had switched to Kryptonian now. “What about your parents? They’ve already lost you once. I don’t think your father’s heart can take another time.”

 

Kal’s eyes narrowed at the low blow. “I’m perfectly aware of that, Bruce. However, my parents raised me to never turn my back on people in danger. Even if it meant putting my life on the line.”

  
“For God’s sake, Kal, think. You can’t just up and leave like this, not a month after- the last time.

  
“Bruce. I’m not saying it won’t be dangerous, but I can take care of myself, okay? And I’ll be with the Legion."

  
“Why, Kal? Why are you so desperate to go through with this- this madness? Is it because of the android? Please tell me you’re not in love with the android.”   
  


 “No, Bruce, I’m not in love with Brainy. I just- I need to do this, okay? I know that you and the rest of the League think I’m nuts, but I have to do this."

  
“God damnit it,  Clark , what the hell is so important that you would abandon the League and go off fucking tilting at windmills? We’re your team, damn it. Why would you risk all of that- why would you risk losing your parents, the Planet, everything you care about, for some Yuda-forsaken wild goose chase?”

   
“Because I’m head over heels in love with you, you damn fool idiot!”  


 

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Kal wanted desperately to take them back. He was gladder than he could express that blushing didn’t come naturally to Kryptonians. Wanting to sink through the floor, however, was apparently not a trait restricted to his adoptive homeworld.

 

He watched Bruce’s face closely for any sign of the other man’s reaction, both d amning and thanking the lead shielding embedded in the cowl’s fabric.

 

Bruce opened his mouth. Here it comes, Kal thought miserably. At least he hadn’t announced his obsession for all the League to hear. Not that that would make it hurt any less when Bruce rejected him.  


  
“If you’re going to insist on going on this fool’s crusade, I have some things you might find of use. Braniac, stay with the others and tell them everything you know about Imperiex and your team. They might be able to help you with strategy. J’onn, if you’ll do the honours?” He rose in a swirl of black and grey, silently beckoning Kal to follow.   
  


The ride to the Cave- all twelve seconds of it- was silent, except for  Clark ’s heart, which insisted on pounding loud enough even to block out the near-constant hum at the edges of his super-hearing. He kept his eyes focused firmly on the ground as they exited the teleporters and made their way into the main portion of the Cave. He couldn’t meet Bruce’s eyes, couldn’t deal with the shattering of a lifetime’s worth of dreams. Not just yet.

 

Distantly, he heard the rustle of silk and spandex as the Bat was set aside. And then the other man’s hand was on his shoulder, the cool feel of leather like a brand, even through spandex.

 

“ Clark . You said you loved me. Did- did you mean it?” The other man’s voice was warm, gentle, if a bit shaky. It was Bruce asking, not Batman, which gave Kal the courage to answer.  


  
 “I’m in love with you, Bruce,” he whispered, eyes burning. Now that he’d started talking, however, he couldn’t seem to stop, couldn’t prevent himself from holding his heart out to be shattered like so much glass. “I think I always was, I just didn’t know it. I fell for you that night at my hotel- remember, you were watching me through the window. You waved at me- Rao, I couldn’t believe someone actually had the nerve to not only spy on me but gloat about it- and that was it, right there. For the longest time, I tried to deny it. Convinced myself that Lois was what I wanted, that this- whatever I felt was an infatuation at best. Thought if I tried hard enough, buried it deep enough, I could forget it was ever even there.”   
  
He paused, letting out a noise that was halfway between a breath and a sob. “Then I was in that damn hellhole with Savage, and you know what? The only damn thing I could think about was that I’d never see you again. And when I came back and saw that bastard aiming for you- Rao, I’ve never been so scared in my life. I just wanted to sweep you up, take you to the Fortress and do all kinds of scandalous things to you. The only reason I manage to stop myself is that- well, you’re straight, and even if you weren’t, what the hell would you want with a hick alien like me, anyway? It’s tearing me up, Bruce, seeing you every day and not being able to touch you, to be with you.”   
  


“I- I know how you feel about relationships, and I’m not going to put any pressure on you, I swear. Hell, I wasn’t even going to mention it until Brainy showed up and asked me to go back- and I was just hoping, that if I could just get away from you for a while, that this- this thing that I have inside me would go away, that I wouldn’t be so damn crazy about you that I can barely see straight.” Kal cut himself off with an effort. Bruce didn’t need to hear him rambling about his pathetic obsession. He should probably just gather whatever remained of his dignity and leave. He sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you could never feel the same way about me. I- I’ll understand if you never want to see me again.” Kal didn’t dare to look up and meet Bruce’s eyes, unable to bear the idea of his best friend looking at him with pity- or, worse, disgust. “I’m just going to go now. I- I’ll see you in a couple of hours-”  


  
Whatever else Kal wanted to say was cut off by Bruce’s mouth on his, kissing him fiercely, almost desperately. Bruce tasted of breath mints, fine chocolate and something darker, richer, utterly Bruce. Kal wanted nothing more than to pin him against the wall and take him right there, but he forced himself to slow down, to savour the feel of Bruce’s mouth on his. To imprint this kiss on his memory so he could take it out and look at it in the years to come, a talisman against the loneliness that always plagued him.  


He raised his hands to put them on Bruce’s chest so he could push him away, so they could talk about this, but somehow one hand ended up on the small of Bruce’s back and the other in his hair, holding him close and titling his head back so Kal could press open-mouthed kisses on Bruce’s jaw and neck, licking the too-pale skin left exposed by the suit.

  
“Kal. Bedroom.”

  
The hoarse whisper was all the incentive he needed. The world blurred for an instant, then they were both lying naked on black silk and Bruce was kissing Kal like a man possessed, telling him with mouth and hands what he’d kept to himself for years. Just as Kal began to fear the other man would pass out from oxygen deprivation, Bruce pulled away, azure eyes hazy with need.

  
“Kal, I- are you sure? Because if we do this, there’s no going back. Not for me. Not for us.”

  
Kal looked into eyes more eloquent than words could ever be, and found his answer.

  
“Bruce, all those years, I wondered why I could never give my heart to Lois. It was only when I was with Savage that I realized that it wasn’t mine to give anymore. You have my heart. Now and always.”

  
In answer, Bruce kissed him again, the kiss light enough that Kal barely felt it, deep enough that it seared him to the depths of his soul. A second kiss followed, then another, and another, until Kal ceased to be aware of anything but Bruce’s mouth on his body, of whispered endearments and promises of love and family and forever, of the feel of Bruce’s skin on his, scars glistening in the evening sun, of the two of them moving in perfect harmony, retracing the steps of lovers from time immemorial, an all-consuming, perfect dance.  
 

===================================================================================

   
Kal woke up to soft music and the feel of moonlight on his face. For a brief moment, he panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings, then relaxed as memories of the past few hours came back to him.

  
He’d just had sex- incredible, mind-blowing, out-of-this-damn-galaxy sex- with Bruce Wayne. Either he’d just cashed in on several lifetimes’ worth of good karma, or this was all an amazing dream.

  
Kal looked up to see Bruce, stark naked and still dripping from his shower, striding toward the bed, frank desire etched in the handsome face.  
  
A _very_ amazing dream.  
  


“Hi there, gorgeous.” Bruce’s grin was blinding and just a little bit lecherous. Not that Kal was complaining, especially when the other man straddled him and proceeded to kiss him thoroughly.

  
Bruce pulled away, and Kal had to bite back a whimper. He felt Bruce’s hand on his chin, the other man gently tilting his face up so their eyes met. Bruce was smiling, mischief dancing in the quicksilver gaze.

  
“So. You’ve been in love with me for over five years, and yet you choose to tell me the day before you have to leave for a dangerous mission, and in the middle of a League meeting no less.”

  
Clark refrained from pointing out that technically, Bruce had goaded him into admitting it, and nodded.

  
“God, Kal, I don’t know what’s worse, your costume or your sense of timing.” Bruce shook his head, sounding both amused and exasperated. “Good thing there are other things I love about you.”

  
Kal opened his mouth to defend himself- that was Krypton’s flag Bruce was insulting- and then the rest of the sentence hit him. “You… love me?”  


“I love you.”

  
Kal blinked. He wasn’t being mind-controlled or dreaming, and he was reasonably sure he was in the right universe, so that had to mean… that Bruce loved him.

  
“I… wow. You really love me?”

  
“Yes, although you make me wonder why sometimes. I love you,  Clark , elokyn, my gift from the stars. ”

  
“But- wait. Why didn’t you say anything?”  
  
  
“You were with Lois, and whatever else Bruce Wayne might be, he’s not that much of a cad. Even otherwise… I’m not an easy man to love, Kal. I didn’t want to be the one who tarnished you, who took away your innocence. You deserve better than to have to deal with a jaded, paranoid rich boy with enough issues for the entire League. You deserve someone happy-” Kal reached up and kissed him, cutting off the rest of whatever he was going to say.

  
“Bruce. You’re the man I love. Paranoia, grouchiness and all. They’re just part of what makes you special to me, as much as your bravery, your determination. I may be physically powerful, but you have a strength of spirit that never ceases to amaze me.” He laughed at Bruce’s disbelieving look. “I know you think I’m nuts, but I plan on spending the rest of our lives convincing you of how amazing you are. Which reminds me. You know why I fell in love with you, but I don’t know what made you fall for me.”

  
Bruce’s eyes sobered for a moment. “Honestly? It isn’t one single thing that I could name, one moment I could point to and say, _there_ , that’s the moment I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. It’s just… everything about you. Your goodness, your honesty, your intelligence, your compassion- it was like, one day I didn’t like you, and the next, I couldn’t remember *not* loving you. I’m just so sorry that I let my distrust of you fester so long. If I hadn’t been such a blind, paranoid fool, we could have had this years ago.” He looked so miserable Kal couldn’t help but lean in and kiss him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, two lovers revelling in the taste of each other, until Bruce pulled back and just looked at him steadily, desire and worry and something Kal was only beginning to believe was real shining in his eyes.

  
He took Kal’s hand in his, kissing the fingertips one by one, only stopping when he came to Kal’s ring finger. He gazed at the Legion’s symbol for a long time before clearing his throat.

  
“Kal. I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”

  
He shook his head before Kal could open his mouth. “No, you couldn’t be who you are and not go. I know that. But I am going to insist on a *thorough* physical check-up before you leave.” The quirk of the lips gave way to a grin that was just a touch wolfish. “In fact, to be sure of your competence, I’m going to look you over myself.”

  
Ignoring Kal’s confused look, Bruce leaned over and kissed him long and deep, the action eliciting a low moan from the Kryptonian.

  
“Hmm. Your response to stimuli is a bit worrisome. Guess we’ll just have to run another test.” 

  
This time, Bruce ran his hand over Kal’s left nipple, flicking it lightly. Kal gasped, his body writhing as Bruce teased the sensitive nub idly with one hand.

 

“What about the League?” Kal had to ask, even though he was pretty sure nothing short of a worldwide disaster could convince him to stop at this point. Maybe.  


  
“They’ve been informed. We have twelve hours.”

  
Kal raised an eyebrow. “Will that be enough for a thorough examination?”

  
Bruce smirked. “We’ll just have to hurry, won’t we?”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally written for the 2008 World's Finest Gift Exchange at the world's_finest LJ comm. (Gods, is it really almost ten years old?)
> 
> I've left it pretty much as it was, except for some light editing for spelling, grammar, and taking out people's names (seriously, Tam, nobody uses other people's names that much in conversation.) I'm (I hope) a much better writer than I was in 2008, but I still like this fic - Superman/Batman was the first fandom I really participated in in terms of community, and I made some wonderful friends there. 
> 
> You'll notice that I use Kal rather than Clark in my fics. It's not canon, or even a common interpretation, but I don't believe that Superman and Clark are the Man of Steel's only identities. I think there's another side to him, one that's both and neither, and that's his true personality. I'll spare you the rant about what I think the 'alien farmboy from Kansas' thing says about immigrants and assimilation, but suffice it to say that I think Kal-El of Krypton and Earth is a damned sight more interesting when all of him is taken into account and not just two of the most visible parts.


End file.
